This invention is concerned with a new antitumor antibiotic complex and processes for production, recovery and separation into bioactive components.
Based on present spectral data and available physico-chemical properties, the antitumor antibiotic complex of the present invention appears to be structurally related to the quinoxaline group of antibiotics such as echinomycin, Dell, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 97, 2497 (1975), quinomycins, Shoji, et al., J. Antibiotics, 14A, 335 (1961), and triostin C, The Merck Index, 9th Ed., 9399. However, the antitumor antibiotic complex is differentiated from these antibiotics in the following aspects:
1. The instant complex and components thereof contain a quinoline nucleus as a chromophore instead of quinoxaline as in the actinoleukin group of antibiotics.
2. The instant complex and components thereof do not contain sulfur in contrast to the presence of disulfide or thioacetal bridge in the structure of actinoleukin antibiotics.
3. The instant complex and components thereof show relatively weak antimicrobial activity compared to the actinoleukins which are potent antibacterial antibiotics.